A working Android phone
Android 9 or newer. The Play Store will let you opt into the internal test track from a link we'll email you after you sign up.
Closed beta
Get in early. Help shape it.
Red Thread is in closed testing on Android. We're letting a small group in first so we can sharpen the judge mechanic, catch the rough edges, and make sure the matches that come out of the community are actually good ones. If that sounds like something you'd enjoy being a part of, sign up below.
What we're asking of you
Nothing intense. The honest version:
A real profile
Real photos, a real bio, real preferences. The community will be voting on your pairs. Throwaway profiles don't tell us anything useful about whether the mechanic is working.
A bit of weekly time
Open the app a few times a week. Vote on some pairs as a judge. Have conversations if you match. That's the whole loop.
Honest feedback
When something breaks or feels off, tell us. The beta tester Google Group is the room where we discuss it. No survey grind, just talk.
What you get
You're inside before Red Thread is on the Play Store publicly. Whatever happens to the app from here, you were part of how it got there.
Email the beta group and you're talking to the dev. No tickets, no canned responses, no "please rate us 5 stars."
Beta feedback drives what we change. The features that survive to launch are the ones that earned it during this phase.
Eligibility
- You must be 18 or older. No exceptions; see our safety page on why.
- You have a working Android phone (9.0 or newer).
- You're open to actually dating. The data is more useful when you're treating it like a real dating app, not a tech demo.
- You can read and write English (we'll localize after launch).
iOS folks
No iPhone build yet. Sign up anyway.
The Android beta has to prove the mechanic before we invest in iOS. If you're on iPhone and you want in, fill out the form anyway and mark iOS as your platform. We'll keep you on the waitlist and email you the moment iOS opens. It's longer than the Android wait (we won't lie about that), but you'll be at the front of the iOS line.
Sign up
Takes about two minutes. We use the form below to make sure you'll actually be able to install the test build and that you're a fit for the kind of feedback we need.
Already signed up?
The beta tester Google Group is where announcements, new builds, and discussion happen. You can email it directly:
red-thread-beta-testers@googlegroups.com
A few practical questions
How often will I hear from you?
Build announcements when there's a new test build (every one to two weeks during active testing) plus an occasional "what are you seeing?" thread in the group. We try not to spam the inbox.
What if I want to leave the beta?
Reply to any beta email with "remove me" or unsubscribe from the Google Group directly. You can also delete your Red Thread account inside the app or via the web deletion form.
What happens to my account when the beta ends?
It rolls over to a regular Red Thread account at public launch. Your profile, matches, and conversations come with you. No reset.
Is anything different about privacy during the beta?
No. The privacy policy and terms apply to beta users exactly the way they apply to launch users. Same data, same retention, same rights.
Can I invite a friend?
Yes. Send them this page. We're keeping the gate the same for everyone (one form, one Play Console roster) so we have a clean record of who's in.